Robert Balbar agreed he killed Heather and was convicted of 2nd degree in 2009/2010 and sentenced to 15 years for the death of Heather Hamill.

He appealed in 2011 and his conviction was overturned in 2013 because 3 BC Supreme Court Justices ruled that the judge in this case, erred in her instructions to the jury. This case also has Mr Big aspects to it but I believe that he started his appeal process before the recent Supreme Court of Canada Mr Big ruling, so I guess if this appeal doesn't work he can try that for his next appeal.

I am sad for the family of Ms Hamill and I truly wish the system had worked for them, but I believe it has failed these people this time. I hope this 'case' at least, will be over for them ASAP. Sorry for your loss.

It took a B.C. Supreme Court jury less than two days of deliberation to find a Kamloops man guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of his girlfriend more than 10 years ago.

Robert Balbar, 42, beat Heather Hamill to death with a hammer during an altercation in his North Shore apartment in late-July 2003.

The body of the 31-year-old mother of three was found floating in the North Thompson River on Aug. 1 of that year.

The seven-man, five-woman jury returned with its guilty verdict at 4 p.m. today (Dec. 11) after 19 hours of deliberation over two days.

During trial, Balbar claimed he was acting in self-defence after Hamill threatened him and his son with a machete.

However, during an RCMP Mr. Big undercover operation in 2007, he told a supposed crime boss that he beat Hamill to death because she was going to tell police he had hit her.A pathologist testified Hamill had been struck violently at least eight times in the head.